The Podium
Blog posts tagged with 'Studies'
Tuesday, March 02
By Bruce
The American Consumer Institute has released a new study, “Innovation and National Broadband Policies: Facts, Fiction and Unanswered Questions.” From the Executive Summary:
“Innovation” has emerged as a pivotal element in the debate over whether the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should impose new constraints on managers and providers of broadband network infrastructures. This study brings to bear facts and analysis emerging from a review of much of the literature on innovation and especially that bearing on claims by advocates of “net neutrality,” “open networks” and related notions.
We find that innovation is thriving at both the core and the edge of the network in the current policy environment, which has fundamentally allowed the Internet to evolve with little government involvement. Further, we find no evidence that greater FCC involvement in markets for broadband services would protect or promote innovation in the Internet Ecosystem. Indeed, we believe that such intervention is more likely to discourage innovation than stimulate it.
The full ACI study is available on their website (PDF).
Tuesday, February 16
By Bruce
Multichannel News digs into a new report from the FCC on the state of high speed Internet in America and finds there’s clear evidence that despite gains, the digital divide is alive and well — especially in low-density areas:
For the fixed connections, like cable and DSL, the commission data found that in 200 counties (representing 1% of U.S. households), no more than 20% met that definition of high speed, while in about half as many counties (104) with eight times the population (8% of the households), 80% had at least those speeds.
By Brad
Media Post highlights a new report from PR firm Ruder Finn that finds Americans are now spending close to three hours each day using the mobile Internet.
Monday, December 14
By Brad
The New York Times points to a new study that finds a whopping 87% of people don’t want to pay for online content:
People don’t want to pay for online content, no matter where they are in the world: That’s the result of a new study conducted by the GfK Group based on interviews with 16,800 people in the U.S. and 16 European countries. Only 13 percent of all respondents around the globe said that they were willing to pay for online content, while 33 percent even said that they wanted everything for free, without ads.
News organizations and entertainment companies looking to spur revenue are facing a major uphill battle.
Friday, December 11
By Brad
When it comes to online video, viewers expect a seamless experience — or sites pay the price. According to a recent study from Tubemogul (via NewTeeVee), over 81% of online video watchers click away immediately if the video they’re watching stutters or stalls.
Thursday, December 03
By Brad
A new report from analyst firm IDC finds that mobile Internet use is poised to jump in the next year. How big of a jump? The firm estimates that users could reach one billion by the end of next year.
That’s a lot of people — and a lot of content being delivered wirelessly.
(Via Read Write Web.)
Tuesday, October 27
By Brad
Via Broadcasting & Cable comes word on a new study conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association that finds spectrum currently being held by broadcast networks — spectrum valued at roughly $62 billion — could mean $1 trillion in benefits if it is instead allocated for wireless broadband.
Wednesday, October 21
By Brad
A new study out of UCLA finds that daily Internet use can boost the brain activity of senior citizens. Reports Medical News Today:
The results showed that at the first scan, the brains of participants with little Internet experience showed activity in regions that control language, reading, memory and visual ability. These are in the frontal, temporal, parietal, visual and posterior cingulate regions of the brain.
At the second scan, after practising searching the Internet for 7 days over 2 weeks at home, the brains of the Internet novices showed activity in the same regions as before, but this time there was new activity in the middle frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus, the parts of the brain that are important for working memory and decision-making.
In fact, after just seven days of using the Internet at home, the novice Internet users showed brain activitation patterns that were very similar to those seen in the group of experienced Internet users, said the researchers.
Though promising, the research reveals drawbacks — namely, that convincing seniors to adopt the Internet remains a challenge.
Tuesday, October 20
By IIA
Consumers receive benefits from broadband valued at $32 billion annually.
Mark Dutz, Jonathan Orszag, Robert Willig, “The Substantial Consumer Benefits of Broadband Connectivity for U.S. Households,” CompassLexecon and the Internet Innovation Alliance. July 2009.
More facts about broadband.
Monday, October 19
By Brad
Telephony points to a new study that finds encouraging regular use of the Internet can reduce depression in senior citizens by 20% — and shave millions off of health care costs. But there’s a catch:
Unfortunately, enabling senior citizens to use the Internet isn’t as easy as making sure they have access to PCs and broadband access - and those things are challenging in and of themselves. The level of support seniors require, especially as they move into their 70s and 80s, as more people do today, is vastly different from what the rest of the population needs. Basic issues around computer usage can prevent successful Web surfing, much less use of email or more advanced programming. Things that even my generation takes for granted - the ability to type and to understand computer speak - are things that can stump an older crowd.
Friday, September 11
By Brad
When it comes to online commerce, speed is essential. In fact, according to a new study from Forrester Research, just a three second lag in loading a website is long enough for 40% of visitors to move on to other sites. Reports the Chicago Tribune:
The study, based on a survey of 1,048 online shoppers conducted in July, is aimed at measuring how customers’ online shopping expectations have changed in the past three years. The conclusion: Shoppers are more satisfied with their online shopping experience than in 2006, when a similar study was conducted. But they are also less forgiving of delays.
Wednesday, September 09
By Bruce
The New York Times reports on a startling new study from United Kingdom research firm Coda. The study, “Mobile Broadband Traffic Across Regions 2009-2017,” predicts that in eight years mobile broadband users will be accessing enough video to total 1.8 exabytes of data — a month.
That’s over a quintillion bytes of data each and every month.
Tuesday, September 01
By Bruce
A surprising new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that those who have embraced email and social networking in order to be involved in local and federal government have pretty much the same profile as those who have traditionally done so. From the study (pdf):
Contrary to the hopes of some advocates, the internet is not changing the socio-economic character of civic engagement in America. Just as in offline civic life, the well-to-do and well-educated are more likely than those less well off to participate in online political activities such as emailing a government official, signing an online petition or making a political contribution.
The Internet offers much potential for citizens to become engaged with local and federal government. But while expanding broadband access to every corner of the country can certainly help spur interest, until people outside of the traditional demographic find a reason to become engaged—which is something candidates and government entities should definitely be exploring—the web’s full civic engagement potential will remain untapped.
Wednesday, August 26
By Brad
A new report from online security firm McAfee finds that actress Jessica Biel ranks number one when it comes to online searches that can harm users. Reports Ars Technica:
According to McAfee, fans searching for downloads, wallpapers, screensavers, photos, and videos of Biel have a one-in-five chance of ending up at a site that hosts spyware, malware, viruses, adware, spam, or phishing scams. “Jessica Biel screensavers” in particular were very dangerous—almost half of the downloads coming from those sites were malicious.
Friday, August 21
By Brad
Via the New York Times “Bits” blog comes news of a new study that finds of employers are now using social networks to screen job applicants:
According to a new study conducted by Harris Interactive for CareerBuilder.com, 45 percent of employers questioned are using social networks to screen job candidates — more than double from a year earlier, when a similar survey found that just 22 percent of supervisors were researching potential hires on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn.
The study also found that Facebook was by far the most used site for employers—not too terribly surprising since the site has over 250 million users.
Wednesday, August 19
By Bruce
A new study from the United States Department of Agriculture examines the effect broadband has on rural communities:
In general, rural America has shared in the growth of the Internet economy. Online course offerings for students in primary, secondary, post-secondary, and continuing education programs have improved educational opportunities, especially in small, isolated rural areas. And interaction among students, parents, teachers, and school administrators has been enhanced via online forums, which is especially signifi cant given the importance of ongoing parental involvement in children’s education.
Telemedicine and telehealth have been hailed as vital to health care provision in rural communities, whether simply improving the perception of locally provided health care quality or expanding the menu of medical services. More accessible health information, products, and services confer real economic benefi ts on rural communities: reducing transportation time and expenses, treating emergencies more effectively, reducing time missed at work, increasing local lab and pharmacy work, and savings to health facilities from outsourcing specialized medical procedures. One study of 24 rural hospitals placed the annual cost of not having telemedicine at $370,000 per hospital.
The full USDA study, “Broadband Internet’s Value for Rural America,” is available on the department’s website.
Monday, August 10
By Brad
Jonathan Orszag, co-author of the groundbreaking study “The Substantial Consumer Benefits of Broadband Connectivity for U.S. Households,” has penned an op-ed for Multichannel News on how broadband is now a necessity for all Americans. Check it out.
Monday, August 03
Thursday, July 30
By Bruce
The latest findings from the Pew Internet and American Life Project reveal online video continues to grow in popularity, Ars Technica reports:
Pew surveyed 2,253 US adults over the age of 18 and discovered that 62 percent of all Internet users watch video on sites like Hulu and YouTube—this number is up from 33 percent in December of 2006. Almost one in five say they do so on a daily basis, which Pew attributes to the continued proliferation of broadband (the firm says 63 percent of American adults have access to broadband, and we’re sure it’s no coincidence that this number seems to match up with those who watch online video). Among young adults—those between 18 and 29—online video watching is at 89 percent, with 36 percent watching every day.
The report credits broadband and mobile adoption for the increase. But the question remains: As online video continues to grow, will networks be ready?
Tuesday, July 28
Bruce P. Mehlman
David Sutphen
Larry Irving
Broadband Fact Book
Special Reports
The Digital Divide
Jobs and Investment
Data Calculator
Sign the Petition
IIA Broadband Symposium - Universal Broadband: Access for All Americans
IIA Internet Academy
Press Releases
Most Recent Posts
Leave a Comment